This is not a class in American or British studies, but rather a course in cultural fluency with the emphasis on the difference in social and cultural patterns between the Czech Republic and English speaking lands. American And British History are prerequisites, and the course must be followed by the continuing second half in the summer semester in which students will research, organize and present a class of their own on some aspect of inter-cultural differences. In the winter semester, classes will meet for two hours every week and will be organized as traditional seminars in which students are assigned texts on a given subject and come to class prepared to discuss it in open conversation around the seminar table. The aim of the class is to: 1) provide teachers of English with the cultural background necessary for language teaching; 2) give students the opportunity to speak in group situations and provide each individual the material, supervision and support to lead an hour's interactive class presentation; and 3) provide a cultural perspective that could mitigate the culture shock awaiting those students who will study abroad.
1. Introduction and organization 2. Migration, integration and the changing world 3. Culture shock and expectations 4. What's normal? - for example Czechs and Americans 5. Culture, values and language 6. Cross cultural dialogues 7. High/low context cultures 8. Symbol, gesture and body language 9. Cultural fluency 10. Culture in language teaching 11. Methodology for presentations 12. Conclusion and evaluation
1. Introduction and organization 2. Migration, integration and the changing world 3. Culture shock and expectations 4. What's normal? - for example Czechs and Americans 5. Culture, values and language 6. Cross cultural dialogues 7. High/low context cultures 8. Symbol, gesture and body language 9. Cultural fluency 10. Culture in language teaching 11. Methodology for presentations 12. Conclusion and evaluation